If you do n’t have the motivation or the budget toupgrade your smartphone , then the next salutary thing is buy an rising slope for the earphone you ’ve already pose . Cases , battery pack , and wireless charging pad are the obvious song , but there are a ton of more exciting upgrades out there for you to spend your money on too — and these are some of our pet type .
1) Clip-on lenses
No matter how good or otherwise the tv camera is on your earpiece of choice , append some clip - on lenses can make a real difference to the quality of your snaps . you could buy Pisces - eye Lens , macro lenses , wide - slant lens system and more — just make certain the lens system packs you ’re take are going to meet your handset .
Of course the add - ons you break up up are going to function in every app that uses the camera : It ’s an easygoing and eye - catching way to upgrade yourInstagramphotos , for good example , or create Snapchats that are going to make your friends and family unit really intermit in their endless scrolling through the Stories feed .
You ’ve receive plenty of lens pack to pick from : Olloclip , Moment , Aukey , andCamKixall make lenses that are worth check out , though , as usual , you should always check online brushup before buy ( preferably left by people using the same phone as you ) .
Image: Alex Cranz/Gizmodo
2) Phone antennas
If the world ’s data and tech systems come crashing down in progress of a global Revelation — or maybe you ’re just spend a peaceable mean solar day in the great open — consecrated phone antennas can keep you connected even when you ’ve mystify no cellular datum signaling .
These antennas make a mesh electronic web , enabling secret communication between connected gadget . If just one earphone on the web catch a jail cell tower signal , then everyone can apply it ; meanwhile , every leaf node on the connection can send message , GPS locations and other utile data point from telephone set to headphone . You ca n’t pour Netflix , but you’re able to at least keep in speck .
GoTenna Meshis the most impressive of the products on the market at the minute , with a two - pack yours for $ 179 , whileBeartooth($249 for two ) focuses on keep two phone in constantly communication , and the interesting - lookingSonnet($89 for two ) is now available to preorder after a successful Indiegogo campaign .
3) USB storage
The fight against shrinking smartphone memory board is one that ’s never really been won — thanks a mountain , 4 kilobyte video — but with the good upgrade you may check that you ’ve get enough excess elbow room on your headphone when you want it .
Buying a USB storage gimmick that physically stopple into your telephone set write you from own to hunt for Wi - Fi or pay out for some cloud depot blank every month . For iPhone users , you ’ve got the like of theSanDisk iXpand Flash Drive($120 for 128 GB ) and theKingston DataTraveler Bolt Duo($119.99 for 128 GB ) .
Android is friendlier towards USB memory and if you ’ve get a USB - C earphone and a USB - degree centigrade flash crusade you could just plug one directly into the other to get at files . For older micro USB phones and received USB - A drive , you need a USB adapterlike this $ 6 one : Just double check the documentation that do with your phone .
4) Games controller
If you ’re going to game on your smartphone , do it properly — have a dedicated play accessory can make a huge difference to the means you bet on on mobile , saving you stabbing wildly at the blind and attempt to control the activity without any physical buttons .
You demand a controller that works with your earpiece , of course . With an iPhone , look for the MFi ( Made For iPhone ) badge on the corner : TheMegadream Wireless Gamepad ( $ 59.99)and theGamevice Controller Gamepad ( $ 79.95)both come highly recommend by reviewers and are both compatible with a number of iOS gadget and many different game .
Over on the Android side of the fencing , you ’ve got more sizes of equipment to consider and a legion of decent option to pick from . TheSteelSeries Stratus XL ( $ 43.65)works with both Windows and Android , though there ’s no integrated phone holder , while theMoga Pro Power ( $ 29.99)does have a speech sound holder , supports a wide variety of Android phones , and wo n’t be you much at all .
And we ’re always a fan of 8BitDo ’s Bluetooth controllers that remind you of the halcyon days of 16 - bit . TheSN30 PROis just $ 50 .
5) Gimbal
Chances are you do a bit ( or a lot ) of filming on your smartphone , and add a hand - held gimbal to the mix can really make a difference to the smoothness and timbre of your finished snip — it ’s a better investment than a selfie stick , anyway . When you get up to 4 K settlement , that extra stabilization tech becomes even more valuable .
The newOsmo Mobile 2from DJI look like a proficient stakes , mould with just about any telephone , andwill set you back $ 129 — it comes with some particular tricks such as a hyperlapse mode as well . Other popular options include theZhiyun Smooth - Q ( $ 99)and theHohem T2 ( $ 159.99 ) .
Look for gimbal with a long battery life , gentle selection for connecting and share your picture ( usually via an app ) , and extras such as the ability to charge your smartphone while you ’re busy seize all that wonderfully steady footage . Lightness and compactness are important too if you ’re going to be lugging this around with your phone .
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